Lansford JohnsonATTACK victim Nathan Tugwell said life is only just beginning to return to normal after his skull was fractured in an unprovoked assault.

Mr Tugwell, 20, of Burnet Close, Melksham, has only just been passed fit enough to return to work more than three months after smashing his head on a pavement in the town centre.

Last week, thug Lansford Johnson was jailed for a year after a court heard how the 31-year-old launched the attack in the early hours of April 18, Good Friday, after a night drinking.

Judge Tom Longbotham was told a 15-year-old girl, a sister of one of Johnson's friends, had lied to him, falsely claiming Mr Tugwell had punched her in the face.

Johnson then confronted Mr Tugwell before landing the one punch which led to him spending a week in the neurological department at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol.

A consultant neurologist said the potentially serious injuries could have led to complications and caused brain damage.

Mr Tugwell said: "I was out drinking with my mates but I can't remember anything about the attack. The first thing I remember was waking up in Frenchay Hospital it took me a couple of days to realise what had happened.

"It was scary to think what might have been. I may not have been able to sit here and talk like I am now. It just shows how easy it could be to really hurt someone."

While Mr Tugwell was recovering from a fractured skull and bruising to his right frontal lobe, he was prescribed with drugs to stop him fitting.

Until this week, he was not well enough to drive which meant long periods without seeing his nine-month-old son, Luke, who lives in Broughton Gifford.

Mr Tugwell will return to work at Wincanton Logistics, Westbury, on Monday but he has been warned it will take time before he is fully fit.

"I have been told that it could take between nine and 12 months for everything to heal. It has been quite frustrating because I didn't go out for the first couple of months," he said.

"Now I'm out with my mates again and everything is slowly returning to normal. I was a bit worried at first because I didn't know what to expect or whether I would bump into him (Johnson) again.

"I won't be able to put it all behind me until I've settled into the routine at work."

Johnson, of Lincoln Grove, Bowerhill, Melksham, pleaded guilty to one charge of grievous bodily harm.

His victim said: "I'm pleased he was given a sentence and not just a fine and a slap on the wrists."